


Curse

by NocturnaIV



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But their children inherited it, F/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, The magic of most villains was sealed, What if the Island of the Lost didn't exist?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 02:24:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21154043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NocturnaIV/pseuds/NocturnaIV
Summary: On his 21st birthday, Ben had organized a masquerade ball.  In the middle of the celebration, he had been attracted to feminine and mischievous voice. When Ben found her, he almost got down on his knees. The woman started dancing with him as if she had been waiting for him all that time.Nothing had prepared him for what happened at midnight."She became a Goddess." Ben confessed "And like my father, I suffered a curse.""So now you're looking for her to remove the curse." Uma looked him up and down. "How a pity."





	Curse

**Author's Note:**

> My first language is Spanish, but I hope you can enjoy this story. I apologize if some parts are misspelled.

Ben slid his tongue through his fangs and felt the taste of his blood. He had been sailing in the _Lost Revenge _for three days and that was the first time he was invited to the captain's quarters. He hoped he could explain his situation to the captain. But he hadn't expected that it was a woman of his age who was in charge of one of Auradon's most feared and respected ships. Although it had been a pleasant surprise. Now he understood why the _Lost Revenge _used to be a welcome ship in most ports. He felt the desire to invite the captain to stay in his kingdom for eternity.

Uma looked at him across the desk with a mischievous smile on her lips and he had to remind himself how to breathe. 

“Well, I'm ready. You can try to move me and if you succeed, I will tell you where the witch you are looking for is.” 

Ben nodded. The sea had its own rules. Although he was the King of Auradon, the sea belonged to others. Uma only responded to the black flag. He respected that. 

"I think most people know the story."

"But I want to hear it from your mouth." Uma made him a signal to continue. “At sea, stories are usually our method of entertainment. On my ship, I am the queen and you are part of the crew. So, you must entertain your queen."

He smiled at the use of her words but accepted. Ben explained what had happened. On his 21st birthday, he had organized a masquerade ball. The invitation had included multiple kingdoms and to maintain the mystery, the only way to enter the ball had been a special invitation. Ben had wanted to get lost among his guests, without thinking of kings, princes, diplomats or government leaders. He had just wanted to have fun.

And it had worked.

Most of the time.

Ben had been attracted to feminine, playful and mischievous voice. The woman had been humming while dancing at her own pace with whom he assumed was her companion, a man dressed in red. But when Ben approached, almost tripping over them, the woman turned and started dancing with him as if she had been waiting for him. Ben could enjoy her voice closely. He had disguised himself as a butler and a simple mask without jewelry had made him not stand out among the guests. Instead, his dance partner stood out like a queen. She wore a turquoise dress fitted to her body with a dangerous neckline. At the bottom, the dress opened in multiple pieces of white cloth, emulating the foam of the sea. She had gold-painted skin, with intricate symbols on her arms. The mask that covered her face was fascinating and must be heavy. It was shaped like tentacles and was adorned with intricate shells. Her mask looked like the crown of a Goddess of the Sea. Her voice was the song of a siren. 

"I thought she was your enemy." Uma interrupted. "But you talk about her as your ancestors would of their ‘_true love’_."

Ben looked at her, remembering. He smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe you're right. Auradon’s people tend to fall in love quickly.”

"And that's what happened? Did you fall in love with the witch in your story?” Uma laughed cruelly and rested her chin on the palm of her hand “Tales like this are not heard.”

Ben looked at his hands. His sharp claws curled dangerously. He scratched his beard and contained a sigh. In the sea, his smell was a little stunned by the strong aroma of the ocean. But in that room, he could feel Uma’s essence.

He continued his story. His mysterious companion had sung for him. She had danced gracefully and had also talked politics with him. She had had a strong opinion about the decision that the past kings of Auradon had had with the villains of their time. She judged harshly that they had only withdrawn their powers and left them free. Many villains didn’t need magic to exert chaos. That system of punishment had been terrible. But she had also congratulated Ben for the many reforms he had created and his interest in the descendants of those villains to give them better life opportunities. 

Nothing had prepared him for what happened at midnight.

"She became a Goddess." Ben confessed "And like my father, I suffered a curse."

"I still don't see that curse." Uma commented.

Ben looked at her and then at himself. He didn't need a mirror to know that his eyes had sharp pupils, that his body was notoriously more muscular, or that the hair on his body had grown more, like his beard. When he spoke, people noticed his sharp teeth and prominent fangs. His nails were claws. His ears were pointed. Ben had his senses improved and his instinct sharpened. Something wild lived within him, something that required him to hunt or succumb to his instincts. And Ben had been educated to be a pacifist and diplomat, a person of mind over body. Ben had been trained to be a kind and gentle king. 

But at the ball, his partner had turned out to be a witch who cursed him. He would gradually become a beast if he couldn't find a way to break the curse. She had wanted him to live what many children of villains felt. Because while the villains had been turned into mere humans, their children had inherited their power. In the most chaotic and wild forms. Because that was what happened when trying to enclose magic. When it escapes, it did it dangerously. 

"So now you're looking for her to remove the curse." Uma looked him up and down. "How a pity."

Ben smiled and spread his hands on her desk. Uma looked at him suspiciously. He moved his fingers to cheer her up as if they were children. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on his. Ben slid the curved edge of his claws over her skin.

"This is dangerous." He slid his index finger over her skin, leaving a temporary red mark.

“I like dangerous things. But all these days my crew has seen you. You know how to handle your supposed _curse _very well. Almost as if it were inherited and your body knew how to handle it.” She touched one of his claws and played with the tip “If you weren't a king, all this would help you survive.”

"I need to find her." Ben confessed.

"Haven't you tried to break the _curse_ with a kiss?" She looked at him. "It surely works."

Ben denied.

"I need to find her." He repeated.

She sighed heavily and leaned against the back of her chair.

"You don't move me."

"I wasn't looking to do it."

"So?"

“In your crew, many repeat the phrase '_Children shouldn’t pay their parents _' _sins_.' And I think it's something that you have taught them.”

"So what?"

“I believe that in my case it is different. I must pay for the sins of my parents. Their bad decisions brought suffering to many descendants.” Ben looked at her “Someone must pay for it.”

"And you think that should be you?" Uma asked slightly surprised.

"And shouldn't it be like that?"

She laughed maliciously.

“And you think that what you are living is _paying_? I only see benefits to your current condition. Don't you think so?" 

Ben looked at her with intrigue. Yes, it was true that he felt more relaxed by being carried away by his instincts and there were many benefits to having the senses sharped. But he didn’t want to lose control over himself. He didn’t want to act as his father had done, having outbursts of destructive anger and sowing fear to the people around him. But Uma seemed to believe that what he was living wasn’t a punishment. And that Ben didn't deserve to pay for his family's crimes.

"Then why did you curse me?" He asked frontally.

“Because I wanted your attention.” Uma smiled. “Since when did you know it was me? By the way, thanks for calling me Goddess in your story.”

Ben smiled without being able to avoid it.

"Was it my voice?"

He denied.

"My hair?" She ventured.

Ben denied it again.

"Your scent." He explained. "Your scent stayed in my clothes when you leave me and I couldn't forget you." Ben touched his nose. "You gave me the way to find you."

She smiled and leaned against the back of her chair. 

"I told you, I wanted your attention."

“Couldn't you spend the whole evening with me and accept a formal invitation to have breakfast together the next day? You already had my attention in the ball.”

“You thought I was a princess or a Goddess. But I am a pirate. Besides, I didn't think you would use your senses to find me. Or that you would try to do it. If you had wanted, some fairy godmother would have helped you." Uma got up to gain height and put her hands on the desk. "And what do you want? What me to remove the curse? Do you want me to apologize? Do you want to lock me up?" She laughed. "What does the King of Auradon want?"

"...you like it." 

Uma opened her eyes.

“You already had my attention and now you have it more. And I admit that I like how I am now.” Ben looked at his claws. “I feel more like myself and less a title. People no longer expect me to behave like a child who pays attention to his elders. Now they see me and await my orders. Their King’s orders."

"Then why did you search for me?"

“Will I continue transforming?” Ben asked “My father's servants explained to me that he used to have outbursts of anger and could be very violent. I don't want to harm anyone.”

"Aren't you afraid of losing your attractive face?" Uma joked.

Ben got up quickly and shortened the distance between them. She didn’t blink. He hadn't wanted to intimidate her either. Ben's body moved on his own long before he realized it. But it didn't bother him. Especially when he could see Uma's intelligent gaze again. That close. And notice the details that he had not noticed before. Like her dark eyelashes, but they weren’t black, but a very dark blue. Or that she had an imperceptible scar in the corner of her mouth screaming to be kissed.

"Your pupils are dilating." She whispered.

"I can't help it." He smiled and felt one of his fangs press his lower lip. "You think my face is attractive."

Uma laughed entertaining.

“Why did you come for me? I won’t apologize.”

"I swear, I didn't come for that."

"Are you going to lock me up?"

He denied.

Uma took a deep breath and he felt a tingle run through him.

“You aren’t going to become a beast. If you remember, you can see that you haven’t changed anymore. I didn't put a curse on you."

Ben narrowed his eyes, remembering. His transformation had been slow. But if he remembered well...

"I thought it stopped because I found you." He confessed.

“No, I just wanted you to know what many descendants of villains have to live. When I felt what was inside you, I knew I could release it. They have had to inherit the magic that your parents sealed.” Uma smiled. “Why did you think the curse would stop for finding me? When I released the beast in you, I didn't give you a solution. No kisses or beat dragons. No love, nor destroy evil. I only released something that others had sealed in you."

Ben shrugged. He had been so intoxicated to find her that he forgot everything. Ben had waited patiently for her to appear before him and confirm that she had been the same Goddess he danced with. And when he saw that she was the mysterious Captain of the _Lost Revenge_, Ben had felt excited. Luck had smiled at him since he heard her sing on his birthday.

“But I didn't look for you for the curse either. Not exactly.” Ben confessed.

"So?"

"I wanted to ask you to dance with me again."

She snapped away and laughed. Uma silently denied, unable to stop laughing. Especially when she noticed that he was serious.

"This is ridiculous." Uma sat down again. "You must be kidding."

Ben denied and approached her. He extended his hand for her to take.

"Please."

"Now?" Uma looked surprised.

"Honestly, I can't find another way to keep you close."

She laughed again. Ben smiled without shame.

"Since you disappeared my skin tickles."

Uma rose slowly, without taking his hand and analyzed him.

“When you are close the itching disappears. But not quite. Is it also part of what you did to me?”

She denied.

"Does your skin tickle?"

"I don’t know how to explain it. I also feel that I have an insatiable hunger, but it is not for food.” He shrugged “Although I imagined it was because of the attraction I feel for you.”

"You flatter me..." But still, Uma sounded distant "I don't think..." She approached him "King Ben, try to remember. This attraction, when it started? This _hunger_.”

He closed his eyes.

"When I heard you sing."

Uma took his face and he immediately relaxed. Ben hugged her to hold himself and took a deep breath. The tension in his muscles disappeared. Uma held back her laugh when she heard something similar to a growl of pleasure coming out of Ben's mouth. She liked his beard. Her fingers made small spirals down his beard. Uma noticed that it had some reddish color in it. She spread her hands suddenly and he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Does it still tingle?"

"No... but I felt calmer before. When you touch me.”

"Poor unfortunate soul..." She took his face again "The witch in your story is your soulmate."

Uma knew about soulmates. That was the reason why true love kiss worked. Or why heroes could always find and rescue their partners. They were connected. The universe worked in such a way that it sought to unite the souls that were connected because they were more powerful. Some descendants of villains had discovered that the chaos of their powers calmed down when they found their soulmate. Uma hadn’t needed that, because she had trained her powers. Besides, many of her abilities had been an inheritance and not just magic.

She had come to that ball to curse the King of Auradon. Seriously. To condemn him forever. From the beginning, she had known that there would be no way to break her curse. At first, she had believed that her objective had been an attractive man dressed in red, but she had been wrong. Now she understood why she had been able to recognize at the moment she saw him, despite his disguise. Soulmates had a special connection. And after meeting Ben, looking at him in his simple clothes so as not to attract attention and dancing with him, she had given up. Uma only had released his powers, those that royalty had kept tied so that Ben was a perfect charming prince and a boring king. Ben had inherited the beast his father had received as a curse, but some fairy godmother had sealed that aspect of him to make him perfect. But Uma decided to help him and release him. Because Ben had surprised her with his wise mind and his noble heart. She never believed that by freeing his inner beast, she had freed her soulmate. Or he would look for her.

" Poor unfortunate soul." She repeated.

Ben leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.

"I don’t know what you are talking about. I don't feel unlucky.” He smiled. “The Queen of the Seven Seas is my soulmate.”

“Yes, who decided arbitrarily to release the bestial side that you inherited from your father. I don't think that is considered a good first impression.” Uma smiled. “Honestly, I don't want to restrict what you rightfully inherited again. You know some have tentacles, others have fangs.”

"We are all different." Ben nodded and hugged her tighter. "And tentacles sound like something interesting."

Uma laughed. Who would have said it? Surely, the King of Auradon never believed that his true love would make him wild.

"But now look what you've done with me." He hugged her with more affection. "You appeared in my life, rocked my world and then disappeared." Ben kissed her forehead.

He acted as if he had been starved by affection.

...possibly had been.

The beast in Ben had to function like most mammals that required the contact of their own to keep peaceful and calm. Loneliness or abandonment could unleash the fury of a beast. Uma, on the other hand, was of a mostly solitary spice that was tied tightly to what was theirs.

"So... Was this something that was in me?" Ben asked, showing his fangs.

She nodded. The developed senses, impulsive actions, and patience with the stubborn attitude of a hunter.

"Thanks." Ben kissed the back of her hand "You saved me from the prison that others created in my life."

Uma looked at him with fun.

"Great. Not only have I failed as a descendant of villains, but as a pirate. Because I saved the King instead of making the kingdom bleed." She sighed heavily. “You'll have to offer me a better role."

"One in which you can't fail?" Ben laid his knee on the floor and raised his face to look at her. "Is it ridiculous for my soulmate to be my future queen?" Auradon would be in the best hands.”

She took his face. Yes, King Ben was irrational. For his luck, she enjoyed the madness.

"I guess if I get bored, I can steal the entire castle and run away."

She couldn't keep up with that attitude, because Ben jumped on her like a predator and lifted her in the air, trapping her in his arms. He kissed her deeply, sliding his sharp claws down her thighs and ascending until he took her hips. She sighed against his lips. Ben bit her lips, hurting her lightly and she clung to him possessively.

"Okay, now I accept." She took his face to look at his fangs. "Maybe that's why I liked sharp things so much. I always knew that I have destined to reign the world. And the deal includes you."

Ben slid his claws down the sides of her hips to her waist and she sighed heavily.

"Soulmate or not, now you're mine." Uma licked the edge of his fangs "Understood?"

He nodded. Uma had always laughed at fairy tales and the lives of Auradon’s people. At least, she had an interesting beginning to her legend. One that included a predator as her soulmate and a sweet king as her partner.

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings little creatures!
> 
> Someone on Tumblr asked me for a fic with this fascinating AU. 
> 
> Yes, Uma first met Harry Hook in the ball and almost seduced him until Ben approached them. In this AU, Harry and Uma don't know each other. But they have heard about the other. The Queen of the Seven Seas and the Infamous Pirate Harry Hook. Rivals who respect and compete but have never faced each other.
> 
> I really think that 'Did I Mention' is a perfect song for Buma.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> Nocturna IV


End file.
